If you could, ex-ambassador Richard Wilkinson would still have his roof, his bedroom and his left ear intact.Sadly for him, not even our man in Chile was protected from the severe storms that battered Britain yesterday.

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Lucky escape: Former ambassador Richard Wilkinson was asleep in bed when he received a rude awakening

Incredibly, he did escape serious injury when a beech tree crashed through his house at 4am – and landed on his bed.

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Elsewhere, homes were evacuated and left without power, roads were closed, ferries cancelled and flood warnings put in place as 60mph winds swept in.

Close shave: Richard Wilkinson, a former ambassador, avoided serious injury

Mr Wilkinson, 65, who held ambassadorial posts in Chile and Venezuela, was hurt when the 60ft beech tree snapped in half and crashed into his £600,000 home in Winchester, Hampshire.

The majority of it fell on to the side of the bed where his wife Angela, 52, normally sleeps. Thankfully, she was away from home at the time.

Mr Wilkinson, who is now chairman of the board of governors at Winchester University, said: ‘I was lying in bed half asleep, half-awake because of the storm when suddenly there was this incredible crash. I knew exactly what had happened.

‘When I awoke fully, either a tile or a brick or a piece of branch struck my head quite hard. Luckily it just sliced my ear.’

Reliving the moment the tree hit, he said: ‘I am just so lucky that I wasn’t lying on the other side of the bed – it was very close. The debris missed me by inches but it would have been on my wife’s side of the bed.’

The Met Office said the storms battering Britain could worsen later this week. Chief forecaster Tim Hewson said: ‘There is potential for a significant storm and we are keeping a close eye on the situation.’

Crash site: Fortunately for Mr Wilkinson, the tree landed on the empty side of the bed

Yesterday, more than 300 homes were left without power in Brixton, Devon, as gusts of up to 70mph lashed the South West. Some homes were evacuated for fear of trees falling on them.

Cornwall was also badly hit by heavy rain and flooded roads. Ferries were affected and the supply ship between Penzance and the Isles of Scilly was forced to stay in port.

In Ashford, Kent, a mother gave birth to a baby boy in the back of her car after gales delayed her journey to hospital.

Mother-of-three Caelyn McDonnell made it as far as the ambulance bay of the William Harvey Hospital when her 5lb 12oz son arrived. He was delivered safely by a rain-soaked ambulance crew.

Waves batter the harbour wall and lighthouse at Porthcawl, in south Wales, as the strong winds continued to batter Britain yesterday

Forecasters have said the stormy conditions are likely to last for at least the rest of the week

In Charvil, Berkshire, a van full of money being taken to fill cash machines was abandoned after becoming stuck in a swollen ford, which rose 2ft in 24 hours. The van had to be winched by firemen out of the River Loddon.

In Bexhill-on-Sea, East Sussex, dozens of people had to flee after gusts of wind stripped the roof off a block of flats. High winds also swept away an anti-capitalist camp in Brighton.

At Burgess Hill, West Sussex, the storms raised fears for a pensioner who disappeared after walking his wife to work on Monday.

Blizzards on higher ground across the north, including here at the Yorkshire/Durham border, made for dangerous driving conditions

The wintry storms will mean more snow on higher ground, such as here near High Force in Teesdale, County Durham

Police believe Eric Price, 79, may have become confused on public transport after deciding to take a trip to Eastbourne.

In West Chiltington, West Sussex, a family of four had an amazing escape after stormy weather sent a tree crashing through a conservatory used as a play space by their children.

Mike and Katie Gower, aged 46, were sitting in the living room of their bungalow shortly before going to bed when the branches shattered the glass and alluminium structure.

Storm clouds begin to gather over the snow-covered Yorkshire/Durham border

Waves break over the sea wall behind houses on the Cobb at Lyme Regis as the stormy conditions continued across the UK

'It sounded like a loud clap of thunder initially but then I quickly realised it wasn't,' said management consultant Mike, 59.

'We've got trees all around but they are quite far back. I'm quite shocked by the situation really - it's not like we hadn't been in that room.

'It's usually a playroom for the children and their toys were in there. My wife had put some toys away about an before it happened so she's quite lucky she wasn't in there when it happened. It's just a nightmare.'

Children Jamie, six, and Isobel, nine, were tucked up in bed on the other side of the house.

The stormy conditions whip up the sea at Lyme Regis, Dorset

THE WORST IS YET TO COME

Today: Staying mostly cloudy across north-west Scotland with further showery outbreaks of rain, once again falling as sleet or snow over the high ground. Sunny spells and showers across the rest of the UK,the showers most frequent across Wales and southern and western areas of England. The showers will be heavy with the risk of hail and the odd rumble of thunder. Winds easing across northern areas, but strengthening in the South through the afternoon.

UK Outlook: Turning increasingly cloudy from the South West through the afternoon with heavy rain arriving in southern and western areas. Very windy for a time across eastern England on Friday with heavy rain and hill snow clearing, to leave a bright day across the UK with sunny spells and heavy showers, these mostly in the South West

Meanwhile in Scotland, severe weather warnings of snow were issued yesterday – with gusts of up to 80mph expected.Heavy snowfall above 200 metres could lead to blizzard conditions.

The alert follows last Thursday’s storm, which battered the country leaving thousands of homes without power.

The bad weather also forced a seal pup to find sanctuary with a flock of sheep after being driven ashore by winds in Holm, Orkney. The pup, nicknamed Snowy, was separated from his colony and crawled into a field full of sheep where he fell asleep.

Tom Tobler, of Meteogroup, the Press Association's weather arm, said that tomorrow and Friday would potentially see 'the strongest winds of the week'.

He said 70mph gusts had been recorded in Devon, and were likely to continue.

'Anywhere along the south coast could see gusts of up to 70mph,' he said. 'It is windy everywhere particularly around the western and south coasts.'

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Ex-Chile ambassador Richard Wilkinson injured when tree falls on his house